GC Baseball Alum Makes Roster for State College Spikes

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Georgia College Baseball alum Brandon Benson (2014-17) reported to the State College Spikes over the weekend, making the roster for the St. Louis Cardinals' Class A Short season affiliate.

The 2016 New York-Penn League Champion Spikes hosted their season-opener Monday against the Williamsport Crosscutters, falling 9-2.

A consensus First Team All-American, Benson hit .395 with 22 home runs, 79 RBIs and 74 runs scored in the 2017 season. The consensus Region Player of the Year and Peach Belt Conference (PBC) Player of the Year, he also tallied an .819 slugging percentage and .464 on-base percentage. The two-time All-PBC shortstop ended his career on a 17-game hit streak and boasted 22 multi-RBI games on the season, including seven with four RBIs or more. Benson was named a finalist for both the Tino Martinez Award for DII Player of the Year and the Josh Willingham Award for DII Most Valuable Player.

Benson was chosen in the 20th round by the Cardinals.

The Georgia College Department of Athletics, two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at @GCBobcats on Twitter and Facebook for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit GCBobcats.PhotoReflect.com to purchase photo prints from home athletic contests.